Friday, January 4, 2013

Sunshine in a Jar

There's been a lot around Blogland this week about favorite projects of 2012.  One project success around here came in the waning days of 2012 when my mother and I made the World's Easiest Marmalade.

Have I mentioned I adore marmalade?
However, I do not adore corn syrup, the primary ingredient in affordable marmalade, and I do not adore paying $7.00 a jar for marmalade that doesn't have it.
So when Big Red's wrestling team held their annual citrus sale, I knew what I wanted to do with some of our purchase.
Have I mentioned I have a canning phobia?
I do can, a little at least, but I find the whole process and fear of botulism a tad nerve-racking.
Enter freezer jam!
Yay!
Virtually no freezer jam recipes for orange marmalade exist!
Boo!
So, Mama and I put our heads together, combined a few recipes we found online, and created an easy-peasy, delicious marmalade.  The critical ingredient is instant pectin for freezer jams, and the basic directions are on the Ball Instant Pectin container.   We tweaked a recipe from another no-cook pectin  brand to make orange marmalade.
Whew!  Long lead to this:

Sunshine in a Jar Marmalade
For every two 8oz jars of marmalade, you will need:

1 2/3 cups chopped citrus, membranes removed (We used all oranges in one batch, a mix of oranges, tangelos, and lemon in another.)
2/3 cup sugar or sugar substitute or 1/3 cup sugar/stevia blend
2 Tbsp Ball instant pectin

Don't exceed 6 jars in a batch; it might not set up properly.

Place citrus in a small saucepan and allow to come to a gentle boil.  Cook, stirring occasionally on medium-low heat for about 25 minutes.  Remove from heat and cool to room temperature.

In a large bowl, stir together sugar and pectin.  Add cooled fruit and stir three minutes.  Ladle into clean freezer jars and let stand 30 minutes.  Enjoy then or freeze!
Leave about 1/2 inch headspace at the top of the jars to allow for expansion.  Glass jars will work if they have straight sides.
We still have tangelos (a cross between a tangerine and an orange) in the basement, so I see a few more batches in our future.
Enjoy!
Be blessed,
Ginger 

2 comments:

  1. Yummm! I LOVE good marmalade. In case you really want to be in marmalade heaven, go to my blog and make my cinnamon, cranberry bread, toast it and spread it with marmalade. Marmalade and this bread were meant for each other.

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  2. Don't you just love canning successes!! I made strawberry jam in the spring and it has been soooo good. Not a marmalade fan, however. Greg and I did a good bit of canning this summer...planning to do even more next summer.

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